Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [151]
Kiki a Ola (Menehune Ditch) Ancient Hawaiians were expert rock builders, able to construct elaborate edifices without using mortar. They formed long lines and passed stones hand over hand, and lifted rocks weighing tons with ropes made from native plants. Their feats gave rise to fantastic tales of menehune, elflike people hired by Hawaiian kings to create massive stoneworks in a single night—reputedly for the payment of a single shrimp. (See “Discovering the Legendary ‘Little People,’” above.) An excellent example of ancient Hawaiian construction is Kiki a Ola, the so-called Menehune Ditch, with cut and dressed stones that form an ancient aqueduct that still directs water to irrigate taro ponds. Historians credit the work to ancient Hawaiian engineers who applied their knowledge of hydraulics to accomplish flood control and irrigation. Only a 2-foot-high portion of the wall can be seen today; the rest of the marvelous stonework is buried under the roadbed.
From Hwy. 50, go inland on Menehune Rd.; a plaque marks the spot about 11⁄2 miles up.
Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park Add the Russians to the list of those who tried to conquer Hawaii. In 1815, a German doctor tried to claim Kauai for Russia. He even supervised the construction of a fort in Waimea, but he and his handful of Russian companions were expelled by Kamehameha I a couple of years later. Now a state historic landmark, the Russian Fort Elizabeth (named for the wife of Russia’s Czar Alexander I) is on the eastern headlands overlooking the harbor, across from Lucy Kapahu Aukai Wright Beach Park. The fort, built Hawaiian-style with stacked lava rocks in the shape of a star, once bristled with cannons; it’s now mostly in ruins. You can take a free, self-guided tour of the site. It affords a keen view of the west bank of the Waimea River, where Captain Cook landed, and of the island of Niihau across the channel.
Hwy. 50 (on the ocean side, just after mile marker 77), east of Waimea.
Sugar Plantation Tours The only sugar tour in Hawaii, this 2-hour guided tour takes you into the fields and through the factory, viewing just how sugar goes from the soil to your dining room table. Along the way you learn the 165-plus-year history of sugar in Hawaii and all the trials and errors the industry went through to establish such a sweet crop in the middle of the Pacific. Also find out why this once powerful industry is now on the downswing.
Gay & Robinson Visitor Center and Museum, Hwy. 50 (on the ocean side, just after mile marker 22), east of Waimea. 80 8/335-2824.www.hawaiimuseums.org/mc/iskauai_gayandrobinson.htm. Tours $30 adults, $21 children 17 and under. Mon–Fri 9am and 1pm.
THE GRAND CANYON OF THE PACIFIC: WAIMEA CANYON
The great gaping gulch known as Waimea Canyon is quite a sight. This valley, known for its reddish lava beds, reminds everyone who sees it of the Grand Canyon. Kauai’s version is bursting with ever-changing color, just like its namesake, but it’s smaller—only a mile wide, 3,567 feet deep, and 12 miles long. A massive earthquake sent a number of streams into the single river that ultimately carved this picturesque canyon. Today, the Waimea River—a silver thread of water in the gorge that’s sometimes a trickle, often a torrent, but always there—keeps cutting the canyon deeper and wider, and nobody can say what the result will be 100 million years from now.
You can stop by the road and look at the canyon, hike down into it, or swoop through it in a helicopter. For more information, see “Hiking & Camping,” in chapter 7, and “Helicopter Rides over Waimea